Tests Every Christian Will Face: The Self-Willed Test

Name of Assembly: United Apostolic Church
Type of service: Bible Study
Date: September 21, 2021
Series Topic: Tests Every Christian Will Face
Lesson 5: The Self-willed Test
Scripture Text: St. Matthew 26:36-44

“Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples, Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them, My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.” – Matthew 26:36-44.

INTRODUCTION

"We’ll Understand It Better By and By" – Charles A. Tindley

Verse 1:
Trials dark on ev'ry hand,
and we cannot understand
All the ways that God would lead us
to that blessed Promised Land;
But He'll guide us with His eye,
and we'll follow till we die;
We will understand it better by and by.

Chorus:
By and by, when the morning comes,
When the saints of God are gathered home,
We will tell the story how we've
overcome;
We will understand it better by and by.

Verse 2:
Oft our cherished plans have failed,
disappointments have prevailed,
And we've wandered in the darkness,
heavyhearted and alone;
But we're trusting in the Lord,
and according to His Word,
We will understand it better by and by.

Verse 3:
Temptations, hidden snares
often take us unawares,
And our hearts are made to bleed
for some thoughtless word or deed,
And we wonder why the test
when we try to do our best,
But we'll understand it better by and by.

In Ephesians 5:27 we read, “That he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish.” Our Lord is committed to our perfection, He is committed to presenting to Himself a glorious Church free from spot, wrinkle, and blemish.

In both the Old and New Testaments, the words translated “test” mean “to prove by trial.” The conversion of a soul is the miracle of a moment, but the making of a saint is the work of a lifetime. As a result, the Lord uses the processes of testing to bring perfection to His children. In His Parable of the Sower, Jesus identifies the ones who fall away as those who receive the seed of God’s Word with joy, but, as soon as a time of testing comes along, they fall away. James says that the testing of our faith develops perseverance, which leads to maturity in our walk with God. “Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh
patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting nothing” - James 1:3–4. James goes on to say that testing is a blessing, because, when the testing is over and we have “stood the test,” we will “receive the crown of life, which God has promised to those who love him” - James 1:12.

The testing we undergo come in various ways. Our attitude during this process is key. We must seek to embody this attitude as is stated in James 1:2-3, “My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations; Knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience.” The testing of our faith can be through daily irritations or severe afflictions. “Behold, I have refined thee, but not with silver; I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction” - Isaiah 48:10. We may also be attacked by Satan, “So went Satan forth from the presence of the Lord, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown” -Job 2:7.

Whatever the source of the testing, it is to our benefit to undergo the trials that God allows. Foreknowledge is a critical tool that we must use while we are walking through this process. Romans 8:28;35-38, “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? shall tribulation, or distress, or persecution, or famine, or nakedness, or peril, or sword? As it is written, For thy sake we are killed all the day long; we are accounted as sheep for the slaughter. Nay, in all these things we are more than
conquerors through him that loved us. For I am persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities, nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, Nor height, nor depth, nor any other creature, shall be able to separate us from the love of God, which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.”

DEFINING SELF-WILL

Self-will is defined as Pleasing oneself especially in opposition to the wishes or desires of others. Another word for Self-Will is STUBBORNESS (self-pleasing, arrogant, overbearing) Titus 1:7 (KJV) For a bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not selfwilled, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre.”

DANGERS OF SELF-WILL

• Self-Will brings destruction into the life of an individual.

“For the turning away of the simple shall slay them, and the prosperity of fools shall destroy them” – Proverbs 1:32 (KJV).

“Sin and self-satisfaction bring destruction and death to stupid fools” – Proverbs 1:32
(CEV).

• Self-will stems from PRIDE and produces pride’s limitations.

Neh. 9:16 (KJV) “But they and our fathers dealt proudly, and hardened their necks, and hearkened not to thy commandments.”

Neh. 9:16 (GNB) “But our ancestors grew proud and stubborn and refused to obey your commands.”

Proverbs 16:18, “Pride goeth before destruction, and an haughty spirit before a fall.”

✓ Pride blinds us to our own weakness
✓ Pride keeps us from seeking help.
✓ Pride keeps us from making an apology to people.
✓ Pride causes us to blame others for problems.

• A self-willed person cannot be TRUSTED to do what is right

✓ A person that cannot be TRUSTED cannot be used.
✓ A person that cannot be used cannot be promoted.
✓ A person that cannot be promoted will become stagnant

• Self-Will stems from UNBELIEF

“Yet the Lord testified against Israel, and against Judah, by all the prophets, and by all the seers, saying, Turn ye from your evil ways, and keep my commandments and my statutes, according to all the law which I commanded your fathers, and which I sent to you by my servants the prophets. Notwithstanding they would not hear, but hardened their necks, like to the neck of their fathers, that did not believe in the Lord their God” - 2 Kings 17:13-14.

• Self-Will is exhibited in:

✓ A refusal to listen to God
✓ A refusal to submit to Authority
✓ A refusal to receive Instruction

✓ A refusal to receive Correction
✓ A refusal to sacrifice for Others

RECOGNIZING THE SELF-WILL TEST

When God asks us to do something that is contrary to our own desires or opposite of our plans, we are entering the Self-Will Test.

Examples of Self-Will Tests:

• Abraham to offer Isaac on an altar.

“And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold, here I am. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of. And Abraham rose up early in the morning, and saddled his ass, and took two of his young men with him, and Isaac his son, and clave the wood for the burnt offering, and rose up, and went unto the place of which God had told him” – Genesis 22:1-3.

• Jonah to preach to Nineveh

“And the word of the Lord came unto Jonah the second time, saying, Arise, go unto Nineveh, that great city, and preach unto it the preaching that I bid thee. So Jonah arose, and went unto Nineveh, according to the word of the Lord. Now Nineveh was an exceeding great city of three days' journey. And Jonah began to enter into the city a day's journey, and he cried, and said, Yet forty days, and Nineveh shall be overthrown” – Jonah 3:1-4.

• Naaman to dip seven times in Jordan

“So Naaman came with his horses and with his chariot, and stood at the door of the house of Elisha. And Elisha sent a messenger unto him, saying, Go and wash in Jordan seven times, and thy flesh shall come again to thee, and thou shalt be clean. But Naaman was wroth, and went away, and said, Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and recover the leper. Are not Abana and Pharpar, rivers of Damascus, better than all the waters of Israel? may I not wash in them, and be clean? So he turned and went away in a rage.  And his servants came near, and spake unto him, and said, My father, if the prophet had bid thee do some great thing, wouldest thou not have done it? how much rather then, when he saith to thee, Wash, and be clean? Then went he down, and dipped himself seven times in Jordan, according to the saying of the man of God: and his flesh came again like unto the flesh of a little child, and he was clean” – 2 Kings 5:9-14.

• Peter to cast his net on the other side.

“Now when he had left speaking, he said unto Simon, Launch out into the deep, and let down your nets for a draught. And Simon answering said unto him, Master, we have toiled all the night, and have taken nothing: nevertheless at thy word I will let down the net. And when they had this done, they inclosed a great multitude of fishes: and their net brake” – St. Luke 5:4-6.

• Christ asked to face Calvary

“And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father,if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy. And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words.” – Matthew 26:39-44.

PURPOSE OF THE SELF-WILL

• To reveal our own Personal Ambitions that are contrary to the purposes of God.
• To reveal our Selfishness
• To break our Self-Will

People stuck ON themselves are stuck WITH themselves.

✓ A Self-Willed person is inflexible
✓ A Self-Willed person is inconsiderate
✓ A Self-Willed person is in constant conflicts
✓ Most problems in relationships are due to self-will

“For I am afraid that when I come I won’t like what I find, and you won’t like my response. I am afraid that I will find quarreling, jealousy, anger, selfishness, slander, gossip, arrogance, and disorderly behavior” – 2 Corinthians 12:20 (NLT)

• Most Church issues and splits are the result of self-will.

Lucifer became the devil because of self-will. “How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High” – Isaiah 14:12-14.

• The Self-Will Test reveals the level of SUBMISSION of the individual

Everyone must answer to SOMEONE

✓ Life is full of people telling us what to do
✓ If everyone only did what he or she wished chaos would reign.

• Self-will is the opposite of SUBMISSION

✓ Submission is placing oneself under the authority of another.
✓ Submission to the will of God is what Christianity is all about.
✓ “The Bible can be summed up in one word—SUBMISSION.” - T. F. Tenney

Submission in scripture:

✓ “You younger men, follow the leadership of those who are older. And all of you serve each other with humble spirits, for God gives special blessings to those who are humble, but sets himself against those who are proud.” - 1 Peter 5:5 TLB
✓ “Obey your spiritual leaders and be willing to do what they say. For their work is to watch over your souls, and God will judge them on how well they do this. Give them reason to report joyfully about you to the Lord and not with sorrow, for then you will
suffer for it too” - Hebrews 13:17 TLB
✓ “Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as it is fit in the Lord” – Col. 3:18.
✓ “Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you” – James 4:7.

“For the Lord’s sake, obey every law of your government: those of the king as head of the state, and those of the king’s officers, for he has sent them to punish all who do wrong, and to honor those who do right. It is God’s will that your good lives should silence those who foolishly condemn the Gospel without knowing what it can do for them, having never experienced its power. You are free from the law, but that doesn’t mean you are free to do wrong. Live as those who are free to do only God’s will at all times. Show respect for everyone. Love Christians everywhere. Fear God and honor the government. Servants, you must respect your masters and do whatever they tell you— not only if they are kind and reasonable, but even if they are tough and cruel. Praise the Lord if you are punished for doing right!” – 1 Peter 2: 13-19 TLB.

• The Self-Will Test screens out would be leaders

✓ If you cannot submit to others, you cannot LEAD others.
✓ If you cannot submit to authority no one will submit to your authority.

CONCLUSION

Every Christian will encounter the Self-Will Test to see if we are willing to be submissive to authority, especially when it is not convenient or self-serving. When we are willing to lay down our lives in submission, then we have passed the self-will test.

These tests are not designed to destroy us, they are given so that we can grow in our relationship with Jesus Christ. He is faithful to us and will provide all that we need to succeed. 1 Corinthians 10:13 tells us, “There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it.”

Closing Illustration:

The story is told of a group of women that met for Bible study. While studying in the book of Malachi, chapter three, they came across verse three, which says: “He will sit as a refiner and purifier of silver.” This verse puzzled the women and they wondered how this statement applied to the character and nature of God. One of the women offered to find out more about the process
of refining silver, and to get back to the group at their next Bible study.

The following week, the woman called a silversmith and made an appointment to watch him while at work. She didn’t mention anything about the reason for her interest, beyond her curiosity about the process of refining silver. As she watched the silversmith work, he held a piece of sliver over the fire and let it heat up. He explained that in refining silver, one needed to hold the silver in the middle of the fire, where the flames were the hottest as to burn away all the impurities.

The woman thought about God holding us in such a hot spot, then she thought again about the verse, “He sits as a refiner and purifier of silver.”

She asked the silversmith if it was true that he had to sit there in front of the fire the entire time the silver was being refined. The man answered yes, that not only did he have to sit there holding the silver, but also he had to keep his eyes on it the entire time it was in the fire. If the silver were left even a moment too long in the flames, it would be destroyed. The woman was silent for a moment. Then she asked the silversmith, “But how do you know when the silver is fully refined?” He smiled at her and answered, “Oh, that’s easy, when I see my image in it.”